What is a school street?
A School Street is a road or roads around a school with a temporary restriction on motorised traffic at school drop-off and pick-up times. The restriction applies to school traffic and through traffic. The result is a safer, healthier and more pleasant environment for everyone.
School Street schemes offer a proactive solution for school communities to tackle air pollution, poor health and road danger reduction. A School Street scheme will encourage a healthier lifestyle and active travel to school for families and lead to a better environment for everyone.
Start the conversation for your school and build the case for a School Street with your parents, staff, governors and councillors.
Why Better Ealing Streets loves school streets?
Roads around schools at drop off and pick up times are often dominated by cars. In Ealing this can be the case even when the majority of families and students walk, cycle or scoot to school. Cars can be badly or illegally parked to pick up or drop off a minority of pupils. Vehicles in these surrounding roads contribute to dangerous levels of congestion and pollution.
This can make the walk to school feel unsafe for families and children.
By reducing these moving vehicles around the school the streets are safer and more pleasant for families arriving at or leaving the school.
How do school streets work?
Existing schemes have shown that enlisting the full involvement of the school and community is key to success.
Cohorts of well-informed parents and residents will be the best advocates and help make the case for when the consultation comes.
http://schoolstreets.org.uk/how/
Where are existing School Streets?
Scotland was the first in the UK to introduce school street schemes in 2015. Camden was the first in London in 2017. The School Street was first introduced in Italy, in 1989.
http://schoolstreets.org.uk/where/
Where are the school streets around Ealing borough?
Currently around the borough of Ealing we have 17 school streets (July 2022) and Ealing council has promised to increase this to 50 school streets around the borough by 2026.
https://www.aroundealing.com/news/50-school-streets/
Full list of school streets
https://www.ealing.gov.uk/downloads/download/5876/map_of_ealings_school_streets
Want a school street for your school?
Living Streets has a great toolkit to get you started.
https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/get-involved/campaign-with-us/safer-routes-to-school
School Streets Initiative also has some great advice here